After blowing a big lead in the fourth quarter in record-breaking fashion in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference semifinal playoffs, the Houston Rockets began Game 3 as if they wanted to avoid the rush. Then they overcame a lead themselves, getting 31 of Vernon Maxwell's 34 points in the second half Friday and 26 points and 15 rebounds from Hakeem Olajuwon in a 118-102 victory at Phoenix to cut the Suns' lead in the series to 2-1.

Seeking its third consecutive Major League Soccer title, the Galaxy opens its playoff season Sunday against a familiar nemesis: Real Salt Lake. After the Galaxy won two of the teams' three regular-season games, the clubs will square off in the first match of the two-leg Western Conference semifinals. The first game is Sunday at 6 p.m. at StubHub Center and the second is Thursday at Sandy, Utah. The winner will be decided by the aggregate number of goals scored over the two games and will advance to a two-game conference final in hopes of qualifying for the MLS Cup championship game Dec. 7. The aggregate-goals format means "if you prevail in the first 90 [minutes]

* About the Jazz: This is no two-man team. Jeff Hornacek was mostly a non-factor in the first-round victory over the Clippers, but last season's standout performance showed he can produce on the postseason stage. And Bryon Russell's development has been one of the main reasons the Jazz went from 55-27 to a franchise-record 64-18.

Major League Soccer's playoffs start this week with 10 teams vying for the MLS championship. In the Western Conference, the postseason opens Wednesday with the Seattle Sounders playing host to the Colorado Rapids in a one-game "knockout round. " The winner advances to the semifinals to meet the first-place Portland Timbers on Saturday in the first match of their two-game conference semifinal - one game is played at home, one away. In the other Western Conference semifinal pairing, the Galaxy - seeking its third consecutive MLS championship - will play Real Salt Lake on Sunday at StubHub Center.

Karl Malone showed shot-blocker Dikembe Mutombo a lack of respect, taking him to the hoop all night in scoring 32 points Thursday to lead the Utah Jazz to a 104-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series and have won five games in a row in the playoffs.

Mike Gartner has scored 652 regular-season and playoff goals in a 15-year NHL career. The 652nd has no equal, Gartner said, after the Maple Leafs beat the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, in overtime Thursday night at Toronto. "It's the biggest one so far," Gartner said after his goal at 8:53 of overtime provided a season-saving victory. Gartner's shot came from the side of the San Jose net after a pass from behind the net from Doug Gilmour.

The dings in the Portland Trail Blazer armor were already visible before this week, courtesy the Seattle SuperSonics' two opening-round victories, but the Utah Jazz, coming home down 2-0 in these Western Conference semifinals and apparently not feeling too bad about it, have hammered a few dents. The moral victory came on the road Thursday, when the Jazz came from 23 points down in the fourth quarter to tie it before falling.

San Antonio at Clippers, 7:30 PST Wednesday. TV: Prime, ESPN. The Spurs were like a playground bully in last season's Western Conference semifinals, easily withstanding any Clippers counterattack during a four-game sweep. The Clippers hope to pack a much bigger wallop this time around. While San Antonio's roster remains largely unchanged from a year ago, the Clippers bolstered their bench in a big way by adding Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom, Grant Hill and Ronny Turiaf.

Lakers tonight VS. NEW YORK When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center. On the air: TV: TNT; Radio: 710; 1330. Records: Lakers 1-2; New York 1-0. Update: The revamped Knicks have a couple of faces familiar to the Lakers: Carmelo Anthony, a longtime Denver Nuggets star, and Tyson Chandler, who helped the Dallas Mavericks complete a four-game sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals last season on the way to winning the NBA title.

The older, aged Lakers were coming off a grinding, seven-game series win over Denver. The younger, spry Oklahoma City Thunder had been resting for more than a week after taking out Dallas. The first game was in Oklahoma City -- and Charles Barkley picked the Lakers to win the series. If ever there was a recipe for a lopsided Lakers loss, this was it. Welcome to Oklahoma (blowout) City. The final score, 119-90, pretty much told the gory story.

Just watch Slava Voynov drift toward the goal, holding the puck on his stick, waiting. There hasn't been much room to shoot in these playoffs, not with Voynov and the Kings facing a couple of teams, the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks, that like to clog the middle. "You need time," he said. "Try to find a good time, a good spot. " Voynov, 23, has found enough of those moments to score four goals in the postseason, tied for best among NHL defensemen. His offensive output has helped the Kings gain a 3-2 lead over San Jose in a Western Conference semifinal series.

FINAL: Kings 3, Sharks 0 The Kings have out-shot the Sharks 28-21, moving closer to being one win from the series victory. The teams play again Sunday night at HP Pavilion. Less than a minute left. Pavelski of San Jose had a huge opening, charged toward the puck, but Quick again is there to stop it with his right leg. Incredible. Carter then scores an empty net shot with 31.2 seconds left and it's 3-0 Kings after Kopitar lost a face-off, but Richards passed up ice to the open Carter.

The Kings recently had a day off, a brief respite from the otherwise hectic postseason, with coaches holding an abbreviated morning skate for a dozen or so players. Drew Doughty chose to skip practice, hanging around the locker room, playing ping-pong with teammate Slava Voynov. "It's good to have a break," he said. "Make sure to get some rest. " The defenseman has earned it. During the regular season, Doughty ranked among the NHL's hardest-working players, averaging more than 26 minutes on the ice, fourth-most in the league.

San Jose winger Raffi Torres' jarring hit of Kings center Jarret Stoll on Tuesday triggered a sizable ripple effect that could alter the tone and course of the teams' Western Conference semifinal playoff series. The ripples could spread far enough for the Kings to lose a valued penalty killer for a while and for the NHL to severely punish Torres, a multiple repeat offender under the league's often murky code of justice. Torres was suspended Wednesday pending an in-person hearing scheduled Thursday in New York with the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

Western Conference semifinal No. 2 San Antonio vs. No. 6 Golden State Season series: Tied, 2-2. Key stat: Stephen Curry averaged 28 points per game in Golden State's victories over Denver in the first round and 17 points in the Warriors' losses. Outlook: San Antonio will have had more than a week's rest by the opening tip of this series, which always comes in handy when you have a roster with players in their 30s nursing sore shins, ankles and necks. Spurs forward Boris Diaw is expected to play for the first time since having a synovial cyst removed from his lower spinal cord on April 12. The Spurs could also get back forward Tiago Splitter, who severely sprained his left ankle in Game 3 of the team's first-round sweep of the Lakers.

San Antonio at Clippers, 7:30 PST Wednesday. TV: Prime, ESPN. The Spurs were like a playground bully in last season's Western Conference semifinals, easily withstanding any Clippers counterattack during a four-game sweep. The Clippers hope to pack a much bigger wallop this time around. While San Antonio's roster remains largely unchanged from a year ago, the Clippers bolstered their bench in a big way by adding Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom, Grant Hill and Ronny Turiaf.

There have been times this season when the Galaxy has looked like anything but a champion. Good thing appearances aren't nearly as important as results when it comes to the playoffs, which the Galaxy opened Thursday by rallying for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center. Goals from Mike Magee and Landon Donovan during a four-minute span of the second half sent the defending MLS champions on to the Western Conference semifinals against the San Jose Earthquakes.